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Each day, the first and last headlines in the news recount stories of global death, destruction, and moral failure—often involving those whose social standing obliges them to serve as society’s moral compass.

Compounding this distress is widespread job loss and the growing inability of many, especially the young, to embark on meaningful careers. These conditions no longer feel like passing dark clouds that will eventually disperse. Instead, they resemble a permanent, unending dome of darkness, pressing down with unbearable weight and offering no visible or actionable relief for the future.

It is no surprise, then, that many of us, particularly young people in the Asian Indian community, find ourselves preoccupied with a loss of meaning and purpose in life. In its most extreme form, this despair manifests in alarming ways. An estimated 5 to 10 percent of college students report experiencing suicidal thoughts each year. These figures point not only to a mental health crisis, but to a deeper crisis of meaning.

Having spent more than half a century studying Hindu philosophy and navigating my own share of personal adversity, I would like to share a few reflections with younger friends who may be feeling lost in these uncertain times.

Hindu philosophy holds that human birth is rare and precious. Unlike other creatures whose actions are governed purely by instinct, we possess free will with the capacity to elevate ourselves or, by our own poor choices, diminish ourselves.

The Vedas describe four goals of life: Dharma (righteous living), Artha (security), Kama (pleasure), and Moksha (spiritual liberation). Most people spend their lives chasing only Artha and Kama. Hindu Dharma does not reject those pursuits but asks that we pursue them within a framework of Dharma, with Moksha as the ultimate horizon.

If life were a game of bowling, hitting a strike would represent Moksha. The bumpers along the lane would represent Dharmic principles that keep you on course. The polishing and drying of the ball, along with whatever pre-shot ritual a bowler performs, represent Artha and Kama. All the elaborate preparation and showmanship may impress onlookers, but it counts for nothing if you throw a gutter ball.

A purposeful life, in short, is a life lived in Dharma.

D.H.A.R.M.A.
D — Do your duty (svadharma) sincerely at your current stage of life.
H — Honor truth and self-discipline.
A — Act without attachment to outcomes.
R — Respect all beings with compassion.
M — Meditate and reflect regularly.
A — Align with righteousness in thought, word, and deed.

To live a Dharmic life is to use your unique gifts and limitations to make consistent contributions toward a worthy cause, while intentionally building a life you love. In your childhood and early youth is a perfectly acceptable that cause may simply be yourself. As you mature, you grow from there.

Nine Practices for a Purposeful Life

1. Act as if you were writing your own obituary. What do you want to be remembered for? What would people say at your funeral? Be as detailed as you like. Those answers are your starting point.

2. Understand that purpose evolves. Andrew Carnegie spent his early life as a ruthless industrialist and his later years giving away over ninety percent of his fortune. Warren Buffett has pledged ninety-nine percent of his. Purpose is not carved in stone; permit yours to flourish and evolve based on your continuing life experiences.

3. Know yourself. What are your genuine strengths, blind spots, and recurring patterns? Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Goggins, both transformed themselves radically through an ongoing process of relentless self-knowledge, self-effort and self-correction, and not through innate talent alone.

4. Identify what energizes you. Clarify your core values and prefer activities which give expression to them. What aligns with your deepest values will sustain you through difficulties. Eknath Ranade with his guiding values of selfless service, organizational rigor, and spiritual nationalism, devoted his entire life to the spiritual and national regeneration of India. He led the construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and founded the Vivekananda Kendra. Bryan Stevenson built the Equal Justice Initiative around a single unwavering conviction that every person is more than the worst thing they have ever done.

5. Set meaningful, aligned goals. Break your purpose into a long-term direction, medium-term goals, and short-term daily habits. Edison tested over six thousand materials before finding a workable light bulb filament. Verghese Kurien transformed India's dairy industry through decades of incremental, grassroots effort. Steady consistency outweighs dramatic leaps.

6. Build supportive relationships. Seek mentors and cultivate friends who challenge you. Join communities that share your values. Accept people as they are but decide for yourself where each one belongs in your life, not where they wish to be placed.

7. Cultivate discipline and resilience. I suffered a stroke two months before my planned retirement at fifty-one, leaving my left side completely paralyzed. Five years on, I still exercise every day, research new recovery techniques, and manage the financial demands of life. I have not reached my maximum recovery. Despite numerous set-backs on the way, I will keep trying till the end of my life. Discipline protects purpose when motivation fades.

8. Keep evolving. Even after achieving immense literary fame, Tolstoy turned away from materialism in search of deeper spiritual truth. After witnessing the devastation of Kalinga, Ashoka renounced conquest and embraced a path of compassion and moral governance. Their lives remind us that growth often requires re-examining our assumptions and changing course. The ultimate destination may remain the same, but the path toward it will sometimes need to be revised. True wisdom lies not in resisting change, but in welcoming transformation as an essential part of becoming.

9. Live in the present. Purpose is not only about some distant future. It is about how you show up today. Give your full attention to what Dharma demands of you right now, without being trapped by past regret or future anxiety. Novak Djokovic has spoken openly about how mindfulness between points, not dwelling on the last shot or worrying about the next, is what separates champions at the highest level. Oprah Winfrey who overcame a childhood of poverty and trauma has credited her practice of present moment gratitude journaling as the foundation of everything she built. Constantly close the gap between who you are and who you aspire to be.

If your life is an airplane journey, your childhood and early youth were the takeoff. The runway is behind you. Right now, in this very moment, even if it does not feel this way, you are rising. You are not falling. You are rising toward cruising altitude, the phase where direction matters most. But here is what I need you to hear first, before anything else: do not let anyone else program your coordinates.

Not your family's expectations. Not your community’s script. Not the voice inside you right now that is lying to you about your worth.

An airplane on autopilot flies confidently which could be straight toward the wrong destination. Many people spend their entire lives that way, drifting, reacting, following the crowd, and one day waking up wondering how they got there. But you are still at the moment where the course can be set. Most long-range flights experience turbulence. And turbulence always passes.

For some of you, all the above nine practices may feel inadequate, which is also okay. You do not need to know your destination today. You do not need to have it figured out. You only need to do one thing: keep the plane in the air. Take the controls. Not because you have it all figured out, but because your life, however crummy it feels at this moment, is worth the effort of trying.

 

The author is a retired radiologist and a Hindu spiritual care provider.